Mauri Ora

Ko te raupapatanga *Hōmai te waiora ki ahau – Towards Māori Health and Well-being*, 2012–15 he wā whakahirahira i te mahi toi a Charlotte Graham. Kua roa te wā a Graham e arotahi ana ki ngā kaupapa e pā ana ki te hauora me te oranga o tōna ao. Ko tā tāna whakamahi ā-hangarua i ngā papa whakaata nguture hei hanga i ngā mahi toi nei, he tohutoro i tōna hauora, i tōna oranga ake, ka mutu, he whakatūpatoranga mō te hauora me te oranga o te taiao. Kawea ai e te kāhui manu māori ngā kōrero me ngā whakatūpatoranga i roto i ngā miru kōrero e tau ana ki runga i ēnei papa whakaata. Ko tā te *Kauri Ora*, 2012 he kōrero mō tētahi kaupapa nonoi, ara, te mate e pā ai ki te kauri i roto i ō tātou ngahere māori; ko tā te *Mauri Ora*, 2012 he kaupapa mō te hauora me te tauoranga.

Ko tā Graham he kōrero mō te taonga a Papatūānuku me ngā kōrero a te Māori mō te orokohanga o te ao hei whakamārama i te manaakitanga o te whenua, he whakatangatahanga mō ngā iwi katoa. Kitea ai taua whakaaro i roto i te māmā o te whakamahi i te tohu me te tae. Kei te tohutoro ngā tātiwha mahana, marore i te aurasoma, arā he pūnaha haumanu tae atamai, hei kawe i ngā huatau ngākaupai mō te maraetanga me te tōnuitanga.

The series *Hōmai te waiora ki ahau – Towards Māori Health and Well-being*, 2012–15 captures an important moment in Charlotte Graham’s practice. Issues relating to our collective health and well-being are central concerns that Graham has long explored. In recycling the second-hand domestic mirror boards used in these works Graham’s installation is a commentary on our personal health and well-being but also a cautionary statement about the health and well-being of the natural environment. Here, a cast of native birds bring forth messages and heed warnings that sit in speech bubbles perched within the mirror boards. Works such as *Kauri Ora*, 2012 speak to the urgent nature of the kauri die-back disease facing our native forests and the kauri tree, while *Mauri Ora*, 2012 delivers a simple message of good health and life.

Graham recalls the importance of Papatūānuku (earth mother) and the Māori creation narrative to comment on our care of the land – a personafication of all people. This thinking is evident in her subtle use of symbol and colour. Warm pastel shades reference aurasoma, an intuitive colour therapy system, to convey positive and reaffirming ideas about generosity and prosperity. (Toi Tū Toi Ora: Contemporary Māori Art, 2020)

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